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Autoblog's June 2019 Editors' Picks

Each year we review, test and rate hundreds of brand-new cars, trucks and SUVs. We rate these vehicles using the Autoblog score, giving a select few our Editors’ Pick. Here are the best cars we drove in June 2019. 2019 BMW 8 Series Everyone on the Autoblog staff loves a good grand tourer, so we were excited to get behind the wheel of the revived BMW 8 Series, specifically an M850i Coupe. A good GT needs to be as fast as it is stylish and comfortable, and the new 8 Series delivers. We particularly like the 523-horsepower twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8Â’s copious power and smooth ride quality, even on MichiganÂ’s pockmarked post-winter roads. We dig the interior design, too, though not everyone was in love with the exterior. ItÂ’s not the best-handling car in its class, and doesnÂ’t hide its sizable proportions very well, but itÂ’s still worth a look if youÂ’re looking for a big, fast cruiser.  2019 Ford Expedition Crossovers may be the hottest vehicles on the market, but thereÂ’s still a sizable demand for traditional body-on-frame SUVs like the Ford Expedition. These behemoths offer plenty of space in addition to truck-like capability. We like the Expedition's smooth ride, powerful twin-turbo V6 and sharp exterior design, though the interior can feel a bit cheap, especially on some of the more expensive trims. Adding options quickly puts it into Lincoln Navigator territory, and itÂ’s hard to recommend the Ford over the Lincoln when the latter packs the same capability into a far nicer package. Still, the Expedition is as good or better than the competition in most respects, and thatÂ’s why itÂ’s one of our picks. 2019 Toyota 86 Few cars at any price point are as much fun as the Toyota 86 (and its twin, the Subaru BRZ). We like the 86Â’s balanced chassis and sharp steering, and while itÂ’s not as nimble as its close rival the Mazda MX-5 Miata, the ToyotaÂ’s back seat and trunk make it a more usable vehicle. But while we like the 86Â’s driving position, the rest of the interior feels cheap and dated, especially the infotainment system. We complained about the anemic powertrain back in 2012, and itÂ’s only gotten worse as the years have gone by.

Acura NSX will use Cosworth block, plus other neat tidbits

The blue NSX you see here was built just two weeks ago. Prototype number six, it rolled off Acura's newest assembly line in Ohio and was rushed out to the Monterey peninsula for various car week activities. We had a chance to sit down with several members of the NSX team to discuss the car, the long road from concept to production, and some interesting details. Below are some choice bits from our conversations. Acura is pretty proud of the fact that NSX version 2.0 was designed and is being built in the US. The new assembly line, called the Performance Manufacturing Center, is in Honda's hometown of Marysville, Ohio. While the line is brand new, the building has seen many uses over its lifetime, most recently as a warehouse facility. PMC staff numbers about 100, with 60 technical and 40 non-technical associates. The car uses parts sourced globally, and one of those sources is Cosworth. The engine blocks and heads come from the English firm and get assembled into twin-turbo powerhouses at Honda's nearby Anna, Ohio, engine plant. The Cosworth name is rarely associated with a bad engine, so we were geeked to hear the NSX's 550-plus-horsepower hybrid powertrain has good genes. Acura hasn't decided how many cars will come to the US each year, but supplies will be limited. We're told there is a total figure for global sales – basically anywhere Honda and Acura vehicles are sold – but they're not ready to divulge that number. Dealer allocation is also yet to be sorted out, although we're told that any dealer that has the necessary tools and equipment to service the new NSX will be able to sell them. Acura currently has 272 US dealers. The switch from the transverse engine originally planned to a longitudinal twin-turbo engine threw everyone involved for a loop. The designers had to lengthen their nearly finalized design, and the engineers working on the production process had to revise or redo much of their work. Though we've been waiting a while for the car since the concept first surfaced in 2012, it's pretty amazing to think that the car was engineered one and a half times and a new factory was built in about three years. But yeah, it's delayed, with series production now set to commence in the spring of 2016. One result of the switch to a longitudinal engine is a transmission hump in the cargo area aft of the engine. The hold is still sized to fit a bag of golf clubs, though it will be a tight fit.

Weekly Recap: Chrysler forges ahead with new name, same mission

Chrysler is history. Sort of. The 89-year-old automaker was absorbed into the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate that officially launched this fall, and now the local operations will no longer use the Chrysler Group name. Instead, it's FCA US LLC. Catchy, eh? Here's what it means: The sign outside Chrysler's Auburn Hills, MI, headquarters says FCA (which it already did) and obviously, all official documents use the new name, rather than Chrysler. That's about it. The executives, brands and location of the headquarters aren't changing. You'll still be able to buy a Chrysler 200. It's just made by FCA US LLC. This reinforces that FCA is one company going forward – the seventh largest automaker in the world – not a Fiat-Chrysler dual kingdom. While the move is symbolic, it is a conflicting moment for Detroiters, though nothing is really changing. Chrysler has been owned by someone else (Daimler, Cerberus) for the better part of two decades, but it still seemed like it was Chrysler in the traditional sense: A Big 3 automaker in Detroit. Now, it's clearly the US division of a multinational industrial empire; that's good thing for its future stability, but bittersweet nonetheless. Undoubtedly, it's an emotion that's also being felt at Fiat's Turin, Italy, headquarters as the company will no longer officially be called Fiat there. Digest that for a moment. What began in 1899 as the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino – or FIAT – is now FCA Italy SpA. In a statement, FCA said the move "is intended to emphasize the fact that all group companies worldwide are part of a single organization." The new names are the latest changes orchestrated by CEO Sergio Marchionne, who continues to makeover FCA as an international automaker that has ties to its heritage – but isn't tied down by it. Everything from the planned spinoff of Ferrari, a new FCA headquarters in London and the pending demise of the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016 has shown that the company is willing to move quickly, even if it's controversial. While renaming the United States and Italian divisions were the moves most likely to spur controversy, FCA said other regions across the globe will undergo similar name changes this year. Despite the mixed emotions, it's worth noting: The name of the merged company that oversees all of these far-flung units is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Obviously the Chrysler corporate name isn't completely history.